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Day 8: A Pitiful Man
Day 8 is the eighth chapter in the Midori Days manga. Plot Synopsis The chapter begins with Seiji and Midori having a discussion to what they want to eat tonight. While Seiji states he doesn't care, Midori claims she'll make Nabemono. Seiji notes that, as always, Midori is just going on about her own thing, disregarding Seiji's indifference on the subject. The two are unaware of Takako, standing around the corner behind them, gripping a piece of paper. She charges at Seiji from behind and tackles him, nearly knocking both herself and Seiji over. When Seiji turns around and demands to know what she's doing, She plays it off as being in a hurry. then pretends that she remembered something. She pulls out the paper, which appears to be two tickets to a movie, and lies that she had someone else going with her, but that friend had to cancel, and that Seiji will do like anyone else. Takako then hands Seiji the ticket as he examines it. His face lights up when he notices that its a movie he's wanted to see for a while now. Takako then says she'll meet him at one o'clock for the movie, and Seiji leaves, happy. Midori, however, is nervous. We then get a splash page of Takako, standing out of sight, proud of herself and thinking "I did it!". The captions then inform it's the next day. Seiji, now in plainclothes instead of his uniform, is standing in a business area, annoyed that Takako is late. He then reminds himself the ticket was free and he should just be happy. Midori, however, is conflicted. She spends her time thinking about what to do. She gets a mental image of Seiji and Takako enjoying popcorn and laughing, and notes that Seiji may not be aware, but a weekend movie means a date. She also imagines herself interrupting the date in order to keep things going well, but Takako discovering her in the process. She begins to tear up at the problem: That she has to choose between staying quiet and keeping them from hitting it off. Takako then arrives, sporting lipstick, a checkered pattern dress that goes down just above the knees, fishnet stockings, dress boots, an open jacket with a popped collar, and a scarf. Stars twinkle around Takako as Midori panics, realizing that Takako has gone all out to seduce Seiji and that she may not stand a chance. Seiji, however, is unimpressed, and asks Takako why she wore such a nice outfit if they're 'just seeing a movie'. Takako nearly falls over, shocked he didn't go for her outfit at all. Seiji then happily states they'd better hurry to get good seats. Takako, thinking to herself, is upset her 'Dress to Kill' plan didn't work, but that she has plenty of backup plans, and that the real effort starts now. They then arrive at the movie theater. Seiji and Takako seat themselves in the theater as Seiji thanks Takako for the ticket. Takako notes that she's just happy the ticket didn't go to waste. Takako then mentally prepares for her next plan: 'Operation: Fright Cling'. Her goal here is that she is under the assumption that if she jumps onto Seiji in fear, that this will make her seem cute. Takako has apparently come to the movie by herself already and watched it, mapping out the four scariest scenes in the film. She gets a mental image of herself, jumping in fear and grabbing Seiji's arm. Daydream Seiji then notes hes surprised she scared so easily. As Daydream Takako tries to play it off, Daydream Seiji offers to hold her through the entire movie, as the two lovingly embrace. We then go back to reality where Takako, sitting with a rather goofy expression on her face, snaps herself out of her daydream and reminds herself she has to actually put her plan into action. She gets ready as the first scary scene arrives, and prepares to grab Seiji. Her plan is interrupted by Midori, who flings herself upwards and screams in horror. Apparently having been scared by the movie, she couldn't help herself. While Takako wonders where that came from, Seiji notes it was likely a girl from the back row. As Seiji covertly reprimands a scared Midori for nearly breaking their cover, Takako prepares for the next scene. Unfortunately, none of them work. During the next chance, Seiji drops his drink and picks it up, causing her to miss. In the third scene, Seiji yawns, drawing back into his chair and causing Takako to miss again. In her final chance, the fourth scene, Seiji lurches forward when he sneezes, causing Takako to miss once again. Seiji notices that Takako tried to grab him on the fourth scare, and asks what she's doing. She angrily plays it off as nothing, and looks away. Takako laments that she failed on each shot. She thinks about how Seiji saved her, and that since then she isn't sure how to say anything to him. She's played it cool so far, but today is the day she goes steady with Seiji. She decides to take drastic action and hold his hand. What she isn't aware of is Midori, and thus starts grabbing at Seiji's right hand. Takako begins fondling Seiji's hand as she finds herself incredibly confused as to why she feels a full head of hair and two 'bumps', unaware she is fondling Midori. Midori mentally pleads for Seiji's help, and Seiji notes his hand is itchy. He looks over to see Takako fondling Midori, and wondering what she's doing. He begins panicking, and then comes up with a plan. Takako then notices she's holding Seiji's actual hand, and blushes softly at the fact she has him. We then see Seiji has tricked Takako by grabbing the arm of the guy sleeping next to him and putting it on the arm rest, relaxing as he managed to save his secret. The two leave the theater with Seiji happy to have seen the movie. Takako decides she must tell him now, and grips her purse. She begins to open her mouth, however Seiji notes it's past four o'clock already and that he has to go. Seiji happily thanks Takako again, and leaves. Takako tries to weakly stop him, but he walks away and she stands there confused and disappointed. It is then night, and Seiji is sitting in his living room noting horror films are great, but romance films are great too. Midori is surprised by this. Seiji points out he'd love to be one of those television show characters who have lots of girls swooning over him. The captions on the last panel say "We all long for what we can't have, at least from time to time, but the truly pitiful man is one who never sees that his dreams have come true." and are placed over a goofy image of Seiji, blissfully unaware he was tricked into a date by a girl who has a crush on him. Notes * Nabemono is a common Japanese recipe which can broken down into many different kinds and styles. * The Cinema they go to is apparently called "Nishi-Ei", and, based on the movie posters above the entrance, the movie they saw is likely "Estranged Spirit". * The movie they saw appears to be about undead spirits or zombies attacking the living, but so little is shown it's impossible to tell what the plot was. * The movie poster next to Estranged Spirits is too out of shot to tell what the movie is, but one can clearly read the name Brad Pitt. The poster also says "In H- Late- Rol-" likely saying, in full, "In His Latest Role". No such film exists on Brad Pitt's filmography. Since the manga was finalized in 2004, and published in 2005, and based on the artwork on the poster, the movie may be Troy. Otherwise, it's likely a fictional film for the setting. The other names on the poster are too smudged to read. Category:Manga Chapters Category:Volume 1 Category:Chapters involving Takako Category:Browse Category:Days